Congressman Ed Markey Wants Security Researcher Arrested

Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) wants the federal government to arrest security researcher Christopher Soghoian for creating the Northwest Airline Boarding Pass Generator, a site which lets anyone create a facsimile of a Northwest Airlines boarding pass. Soghoian hoped to spur Congress to look closely at the nation’s aviation security policies, which he calls "security theater."

Instead, Markey, a member of the House Homeland Security committee, wants the site shut down and Soghoian arrested.

"The Bush Administration must immediately act to investigate, apprehend those responsible, shut down the website, and warn airlines and aviation security officials to be on the look-out for fraudsters or terrorists trying to use fake boarding passes in an attempt to cheat their way through security and onto a plane," Markey said in a statement. "There are enough loopholes at the backdoor of our passenger airplanes from not scanning cargo for bombs; we should not tolerate any new loopholes making it easier for terrorists to get into the front door of a plane."

Soghoian, a Ph.D. student at Indiana University, says he has never used one of the fake boarding passes, which are likely good enough to get someone past airline security, but not good enough to get you on the plane. He was waiting for clearance from lawyers at Indiana University before attempting to do so.

While Soghoian’s hack drew widespread attention on the internet Thursday, the security hole it exposes has long been known. Boarding passes that are printable online can be edited simply by manipulating the html code, and Slate magazine, among others, publicized a method for those on government watch lists to avoid extra-screening or being banned from travel.

While Soghoian told Wired News Thursday that he was waiting for legal advice fromJohn Gilmore’s Identity Project, a spokesman for the group said that they are not representing him and could not represent him because the laws surrounding identity and airports are still too murky. The group is currently asking the Supreme Court to revisit John Gilmore’s challenge of secret rules for identification at airports.